In a class filled with teenagers, a teenage boy in a black uniform was giving a presentation on 'safe dissection of silver scaled wolves'.
There was a hexagram insignia hanging from the left shoulder of the young man's shoulder. After the presentation ended, The young man went to sit in the right corner of the middle bench among three benches in the front of the rows of benches in the room.
More than a hundred teenagers were present in the room. Using prjoctors and desks that had screens, The students of the class had no problem learning through presentation, animation and live discussion with professionals of various careers, Who were alums of ATP.
The teenager who has just completed his assignment presentation was none other than Cain, who was now a few months away from turning 15, beside him sitting on the other three front row benches, were other brilliant teenagers of the academy and more importantly the top 3 scions of EmberWake in this batch of students.
Sitting beside him was a slender girl. She was delicate and pretty with blond hair and blue eyes. She was one of the few friends of Cain in the academy. Cain felt a bit of distance from other teenagers, as if there was an invisible wall between them but, from the girl, Delilah, who was also an orphan, Cain felt a natural closeness.
All the 9 teenagers sitting in the 3 desks of the front row were holder of hexagram insignia, which signified that these teenagers were over achievers of this class.
This class 'G-1' comprised of the elites of this years 'General studies' course of the Acdemy of technological progress. After spending 3 years in the foundation course, students were given the chance to choose from diffrenet courses tailor suited to produce people, who will be responsible for reinforcing different working gears of the big mechanism of a nation that was Dzonal.
Nearly 80% of students of ATP took more than 3 years to complete the foundation course, being among the best in the nation and to carry the responsibility for the future of the nation was a grueling endeavour.
General studies was different from other courses, other courses was often taught by the professors, and different alums were coming in every week to guide their juniors on their journey to be scientists, engineers and medical professionals or civil servents.
In General studies, there were no professors responsible for teaching, no alums came to consult and guide, the activities in this class was overseen by the headmistress herself.
In General studies, there was a different agenda every week to be discussed among the students, every month they would form teams to head to research institutes and even the NDEBA to familiarise with the management side of different organisations and participate in field works.
If organisations find the aspiring young teenagers promising enough, they would demand them to participate in an internship or apprenticeship. If the teenager successfuly completes the training period and the organisation is satisfied and wants to recruit them in the future, they scout them as soon as they graduate from the academy.
The Acdemy thus bestowes this teenagers the hexagram insignia, making them the example of what other teenagers should thrive to become.
Cain got his hexagram after completing his internship in EmberWake, the EmberWake scions however got their hexagrams from NDBEA and Wormwood research institute.
***
Cain, Delilah and Derick were in the cafeteria doing Lunch. Derick was young Scion of EmberWake, he and Cain were not friends but they got to know each other through Delilah. Derick didn't show the arrogance that comes with being rich, but the young man's mannerism betrayed the pride of someone who always have his fullest in everything.
Derick was a young man with green eyes and brown hair. He was talking about how exciting it was in NDBEA. How his participation in training with war robots and becoming ace in the stretigic simulation war in the western front had almost made him regret enrolling in ATP instead of NDBEA.
Cain listened attentively to the scion of EmberWake, the three of them and another dozen of students will soon be going on a field trip closer to the western front.
Western front was the border of Dzonal that was a warzone between countries as well as wild beast groups and rarely seen monsters.
'silver scaled wolves' were the dominant species of abominable beasts in North-western border of Dzonal.
This will be the first time Cain was going to go so far away from the central regions of Dzonal. Away from the densely populated cement infestation of humanity.
***
Delilah and Cain were in the central library of the academy, every once in a while they spent leasure times here reading books not related to their weekly agendas. Central library of ATP was one of the biggest sanctuary of paper books currently present in the nation of Dzonal.
Cain was most comfortable reading material from his tablet's screen, scrolling through the sentences. But strangely, the uncomfortable feeling of swiping book pages was pleasant to Cain as he was spending time with Delilah.
They had scarce leasure times, yet they often got in the company of the other. Cain felt that Delilah also felt comfortable with his presence as he did to her. Over the months Cain had somewhat become accustomed to being in presence of the pleasant aroma of old books, paper books always reminded him of Delilah.
***
In a week Cain and his few chosen classmates will be going in the western front. There were Delilah and Derick, another scion of EmberWake, Casper, all of them holders of hexagram insignia. There were also a dozen more teenagers but Cain didn't quite knew their names.
They all were going to be in the care of the 42nd battalion of SDFD - Self Defense Forse of Dzonal. Every Rank One citizen of Dzonal was to participate in a 2 year compulsory millitary service if they were between the age of 18-21 and abale bodied.
Most of the students of NDBEA become capable enought to become commissioned officers after graduation and serving the millitary for some years, many students are even scouted out to become Junior Commissioned Officers even before graduation, they are the one that are trained in the front lines in their compulsory millitary service and even become officers soon after graduation.
Some of the students of ATP also join the military as engineers, millitary exclusive medical professionals and field medics. There are even some that after graduating from ATP join the military and become officers after years of hardwork.
The scions of EmberWake high ranking citizens who are closely related to the whole working mechanism of the nation of Dzonal aren't required to do compulsory millitary service. But still after the establishment of the nation was Dzonal and throughout the years members of EmberWake has maintained a presence in the millitary, As officers. EmberWake itself was responsible for most of the weapon manufacturing for Dzonal.
'The field trip of Cain and classmates to the western front would soon face accidents . Derick and Cain will become closer but little did young Cain knew that Derick was meant to be his enemy.'